Ignited by two-hours of Dancing with the Stars, ABC beat normally dominant CBS on this final Tuesday in March by eight percent in the overnights. In the distant No. 3 spot was NBC, followed by Fox and yet another evening of repeats on The CW.

CBS hit NCIS remained just that, with a dominant 11.8 rating/19 share in the overnights at 8 p.m. But competing ABC was on the map care of a Dancing with the Stars: The Story So Far at a healthy second-place 9.0/15. One week into the new season and ABC already aired a retrospective of Dancing with the Stars. That is what you would call milking a hit!

Third in the 8 p.m. hour was the first half of The Biggest Loser on NBC (4.4/ 7), followed by a repeat of Fox’s Glee (3.2/ 5) and a repeat of One Tree Hill on The CW (0.6/ 1).

ABC moved into overnight winners circle at 9 p.m. care of the live Dancing With the Stars Results Show at a hefty 13.3/20 in the overnights -- the highest rated show of the evening. Compared to one year earlier (10.5/16 at 8 p.m. on March 30, 2010), this was an increase of 27 percent. Next was NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS at a solid 10.0/15, which proves there is room for more than one hit series in a time period. Third was the second half of The Biggest Loser on NBC (5.0/ 8), followed by Fox’s combination of a repeat of Raising Hope (2.3/ 3) and an original installment of recent entry Traffic Light (1.8/ 3), and a repeat of Hellcats on The CW (0.5/ 1). Here is the half-hour breakdown for The Biggest Loser:

The Biggest Loser (NBC)

8:00 p.m.: 4.4/ 7 (#3)

8:30 p.m.: 4.4/ 7 (#3)

9:00 p.m.: 4.7/ 7 (#3)

9:30 p.m.: 5.3/ 8 (#3)

In series-premiere news, long-awaited ABC crime solver Body of Proof was amply sampled at a dominant 9.4/16 in the overnights at 10 p.m. Although retention out of Dancing with the Stars was modest at 70 percent, this was an increase of a hefty 84 percent over year-ago occupant V (5.1/ 9 on March 30, 2010). Second behind Body of Proof was CBS’ The Good Wife at a 7.7/13, followed by NBC’s struggling Parenthood at a distant 3.2/ 5. To the readers complaining how I always describe The Good Wife as older skewing, I for one have no qualms with a show attracting viewers over age 50. Just because you have some “snow on the roof” does not mean you don’t have money to spend.

It was a week of split leadership once again, with CBS first in households and total viewers and the home of American Idol, Fox, No. 1 in the three key demos -- adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and adults 18-34. Fox finished on par with the comparable year-ago week, while CBS decreased by margins of 9 to 17 percent.

Elsewhere, ABC ranked third across the board, followed by NBC and lowly The CW, with all three networks on the year-to-year downside. The biggest loser was The CW at erosion of as much as 60 percent among adults 18-34. That’s what happens when 80 percent of your line-up is in repeats.

In season-premiere news, Dancing with the Stars on ABC remained a massive force, with 22.66 million viewers and a 5.3 rating/15 share among adults 18-49 from its Monday 8-10 p.m. block. Comparably, that is right on par with year-ago levels.

There were three nights of NCAA Basketball on CBS, Thursday through Saturday, and the Friday match-ups rated the highest at 10.71 million viewers (#14 overall) and a 3.8 rating/12 share among adults 18-49 (tied for No. 5). Keep in mind that coverage that night was only on CBS and TBS.

In the specials department, Best in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time on ABC in the Tuesday 9-11 p.m. block was on the map with 7.09 million viewers (#35) and a 1.8/ 5 among adults 18-49 (#43t).

What follows are the live plus same day ratings for the week of March 21, 2011 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago week in parentheses), followed by the freshman midseason series report card, the top 30 rated programs for the week, and the top rated networks on basic cable.

President Obama’s address on the status of the American involvement in Libya on Monday, March 28 was seen by 25.64 million viewers in the Monday 7:30 p.m. half-hour. The eight networks carrying his speech were ABC, CBS, NBC, Telemundo, CNN, CNBC, FOX News, and MSNBC.

-Strong ABC Family Season Openers:

The third season spring season-opener of ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager opened on Monday, March 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT with its best season-premiere on record in women 18-34, with 1.1 million viewers in the demo. Comparably, that outdelivered it’s year-ago spring season-premiere by 16 percent in women 18-34 and as much as 15 percent elsewhere. Lead-out Make it or Break It returned at 9 p.m. ET/PT with series-high results among adults 18-34 (798,000) and women 18-34 (637,000), building by double-digit percentages from one year earlier.

FX has picked-up drama Justified for a third season, with an order for 13 new episodes for 2011-12. Six new episodes remain in season two, airing Wednesdays at 10 PM ET/PT, with the second season finale on May 4.

-The Lifetime Original Movie Project Five:

Jennifer Aniston, Alicia Keys, Demi Moore and Film Independent Spirit Award-winner Patty Jenkins will direct an anthology of short films that will explore the impact of breast cancer on people’s lives. Titled The Lifetime Original Movie Project Five, the project will search for strength, comfort, medical breakthroughs and, ultimately, a cure for breast cancer.

__________________________________________________________________

TV Trivia Time:

Cleaning Up

What was the name of the housekeeper at Earl and Randy’s motel on NBC sitcom My Name is Earl?

a)Catalina

b)Florence

c)Hazel

d)Martha Corinne

e)Rosario

The answer to yesterday’s question…

Which one of the following “rural” comedies debuted first?

a)The Andy Griffith Show

b)The Beverly Hillbillies

c)Petticoat Junction

d)The Real McCoys

e)The Texas Wheelers

Is: d) The Real McCoys, which launched on ABC on Oct. 3, 1957. As for the others…

Ignited by two-hours of Dancing with the Stars, ABC beat normally dominant CBS on this final Tuesday in March by eight percent in the overnights. In the distant No. 3 spot was NBC, followed by Fox and yet another evening of repeats on The CW.

CBS hit NCIS remained just that, with a dominant 11.8 rating/19 share in the overnights at 8 p.m. But competing ABC was on the map care of a Dancing with the Stars: The Story So Far at a healthy second-place 9.0/15. One week into the new season and ABC already aired a retrospective of Dancing with the Stars. That is what you would call milking a hit!

Third in the 8 p.m. hour was the first half of The Biggest Loser on NBC (4.4/ 7), followed by a repeat of Fox’s Glee (3.2/ 5) and a repeat of One Tree Hill on The CW (0.6/ 1).

ABC moved into overnight winners circle at 9 p.m. care of the live Dancing With the Stars Results Show at a hefty 13.3/20 in the overnights -- the highest rated show of the evening. Compared to one year earlier (10.5/16 at 8 p.m. on March 30, 2010), this was an increase of 27 percent. Next was NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS at a solid 10.0/15, which proves there is room for more than one hit series in a time period. Third was the second half of The Biggest Loser on NBC (5.0/ 8), followed by Fox’s combination of a repeat of Raising Hope (2.3/ 3) and an original installment of recent entry Traffic Light (1.8/ 3), and a repeat of Hellcats on The CW (0.5/ 1). Here is the half-hour breakdown for The Biggest Loser:

The Biggest Loser (NBC)

8:00 p.m.: 4.4/ 7 (#3)

8:30 p.m.: 4.4/ 7 (#3)

9:00 p.m.: 4.7/ 7 (#3)

9:30 p.m.: 5.3/ 8 (#3)

In series-premiere news, long-awaited ABC crime solver Body of Proof was amply sampled at a dominant 9.4/16 in the overnights at 10 p.m. Although retention out of Dancing with the Stars was modest at 70 percent, this was an increase of a hefty 84 percent over year-ago occupant V (5.1/ 9 on March 30, 2010). Second behind Body of Proof was CBS’ The Good Wife at a 7.7/13, followed by NBC’s struggling Parenthood at a distant 3.2/ 5. To the readers complaining how I always describe The Good Wife as older skewing, I for one have no qualms with a show attracting viewers over age 50. Just because you have some “snow on the roof” does not mean you don’t have money to spend.

It was a week of split leadership once again, with CBS first in households and total viewers and the home of American Idol, Fox, No. 1 in the three key demos -- adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and adults 18-34. Fox finished on par with the comparable year-ago week, while CBS decreased by margins of 9 to 17 percent.

Elsewhere, ABC ranked third across the board, followed by NBC and lowly The CW, with all three networks on the year-to-year downside. The biggest loser was The CW at erosion of as much as 60 percent among adults 18-34. That’s what happens when 80 percent of your line-up is in repeats.

In season-premiere news, Dancing with the Stars on ABC remained a massive force, with 22.66 million viewers and a 5.3 rating/15 share among adults 18-49 from its Monday 8-10 p.m. block. Comparably, that is right on par with year-ago levels.

There were three nights of NCAA Basketball on CBS, Thursday through Saturday, and the Friday match-ups rated the highest at 10.71 million viewers (#14 overall) and a 3.8 rating/12 share among adults 18-49 (tied for No. 5). Keep in mind that coverage that night was only on CBS and TBS.

In the specials department, Best in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time on ABC in the Tuesday 9-11 p.m. block was on the map with 7.09 million viewers (#35) and a 1.8/ 5 among adults 18-49 (#43t).

What follows are the live plus same day ratings for the week of March 21, 2011 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago week in parentheses), followed by the freshman midseason series report card, the top 30 rated programs for the week, and the top rated networks on basic cable.

President Obama’s address on the status of the American involvement in Libya on Monday, March 28 was seen by 25.64 million viewers in the Monday 7:30 p.m. half-hour. The eight networks carrying his speech were ABC, CBS, NBC, Telemundo, CNN, CNBC, FOX News, and MSNBC.

-Strong ABC Family Season Openers:

The third season spring season-opener of ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager opened on Monday, March 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT with its best season-premiere on record in women 18-34, with 1.1 million viewers in the demo. Comparably, that outdelivered it’s year-ago spring season-premiere by 16 percent in women 18-34 and as much as 15 percent elsewhere. Lead-out Make it or Break It returned at 9 p.m. ET/PT with series-high results among adults 18-34 (798,000) and women 18-34 (637,000), building by double-digit percentages from one year earlier.

FX has picked-up drama Justified for a third season, with an order for 13 new episodes for 2011-12. Six new episodes remain in season two, airing Wednesdays at 10 PM ET/PT, with the second season finale on May 4.

-The Lifetime Original Movie Project Five:

Jennifer Aniston, Alicia Keys, Demi Moore and Film Independent Spirit Award-winner Patty Jenkins will direct an anthology of short films that will explore the impact of breast cancer on people’s lives. Titled The Lifetime Original Movie Project Five, the project will search for strength, comfort, medical breakthroughs and, ultimately, a cure for breast cancer.

__________________________________________________________________

TV Trivia Time:

Cleaning Up

What was the name of the housekeeper at Earl and Randy’s motel on NBC sitcom My Name is Earl?

a)Catalina

b)Florence

c)Hazel

d)Martha Corinne

e)Rosario

The answer to yesterday’s question…

Which one of the following “rural” comedies debuted first?

a)The Andy Griffith Show

b)The Beverly Hillbillies

c)Petticoat Junction

d)The Real McCoys

e)The Texas Wheelers

Is: d) The Real McCoys, which launched on ABC on Oct. 3, 1957. As for the others…